Thyssenkrupp will begin testing a ropeless elevator system that could provide quicker, more convenient transiting throughout urban buildings while opening up such structures to greater complexity of shape and design, and is capable of moving people both vertically and horizontally.

Multi, as the system is called, applies the linear motor technology developed for the magnetic levitation train Transrapid to elevator cabins, enabling them to move in shafts in the same way that trains move in rail systems, with various cabins per shaft. Safety is ensured by multiple propulsion and braking systems in the cabins, as well as the control mechanisms Thyssenkrupp developed for its twin-elevator technology to prevent cabins from getting too close to each other inside the shafts.

With conventional elevators, the taller the building is, the more shafts—and the more space—are required. Standard elevators also limit skyscrapers’ functionality, design and shape. Multi’s exchange system allows the linear drive and guiding equipment to make 90° turns. Multiple cabins thus travel up one shaft and down another in a continuous loop, much like a circular train system on a vertical plane.

Multiple cabins would travel up one shaft and down another in a continuous loop, much like a circular train system on a vertical plane. Image credit: Thyssenkrupp.

Beyond skyscrapers, Thyssenkrupp says the system has particular applicability for moving people more efficiently throughout existing complex structures, such as London's underground subway, where there is a need to move people both horizontally and vertically.

"For most commuters it is equally important to swiftly and comfortably access the deepest platform as it is to move quickly from station A to B," notes Chris Williamson, co-founder of architecture firm Weston Williamson + Partners. "Ropeless elevator technology [has] the potential to redefine existing infrastructure and open up unprecedented levels of access both in-between platforms and from the platforms to the world above."

It could also facilitate the construction of additional train lines and stations beneath the existing ones, he adds.

Multi is currently being installed for testing at a purpose-built tower in Rottweil, Germany. The first working installation is expected in 2017.